Theory
by RememberThis
Summary: The story of an ordinary, everyday shinigami and his ordinary, everyday romance. Shuuhei x OC. Told mostly in short bits.
1. Chapter 1

**A NOTE BEFORE STARTING:** I... don't know what to do with myself. An OC. What am I doing with myself? Never thought I'd publish one of these... but the plot nagged at me, and hey, who can resist some Shuuhei? This story will be told in short bits, but in return, updates should be frequent. "Should" being the operative word.

Critique is desired for this piece. I'm trying something new (different narrative style/OC), so please tell me what you think! Granted, in the beginning there's not much to comment on... So stick around until there is, okay?

Onto the story!

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-1-

It was a somewhat known fact that Hisagi Shuuhei, fukutaichou of the ninth division, owned a guitar. He had lifted it off of an unsuspecting human while in the real world, though he refused to refer to the act as anything more insidious than "borrowing indefinitely."

It was a lesser known fact that he had been barred from practicing it within the confines of Seireitei (rumor had it that it was by the order of Yamamoto-sotaichou himself). And so Shuuhei had to retreat to the mountains of Rukongai in order to figure out the mysteries of music making.

It wasn't that Shuuhei was bad per se... He just had no clue what he was doing.

And finally one night, while he was on one of these excursions, somebody finally decided to point that out.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** This story starts off just a tad before Aizen's defection, but will progress much farther than that. Events of the last (incomplete) arc barred, this, for all intents and purposes, adheres to canon.

Also, soursop is a type of flower, either yellow or purple, that's stem has a distinctly sour taste. (I myself used to chew them all the time back in elementary school.)

Onto the story!

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-2-

A girl stared into the clearing, thoroughly perplexed. What was a Shinigami doing in the middle of these woods? Not anything serious it seemed, as he was simply plucking away at a guitar.

A chord rang out, dissonant and obviously unintentional as he let out a soft curse.

'_Plucking poorly, it seems.'_

She held back a giggle. He didn't have a clue! Why was a Shinigami even spending time with a guitar in the first place though? Surely he had more important things to attend to, like fighting Hollows or cleaning his sword or parading through Rukongai to see the awe inspired people in his wake or something equally as presumptuous... right?

She told herself, as she approached him, she was only going to get some of the soursop right next to him and maybe give him some advice on the way. She certainly wasn't intrigued by him.

But somewhere deep down, she didn't quite buy her own excuse.

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Thank you to xLilim for the review!

R&R?

RT


	3. Chapter 3

Once again, thank you to the wonderful xLilim for reviewing! It truly makes my day!

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-3-

"Excuse me, Shinigami-san?"

A teenage girl, dressed in a plain green yukata, stood in front of him, clutching a basket of flowers. Her stance was tense, but her voice didn't exude the fear Rukongai citizens often had in the presence of Shinigami.

"Shinigami-san, do you even know how to play that guitar? Because from the sound of it, you don't have a clue what you're doing."

Shuuhei then realized she wasn't tense because she was nervous- she was tense because she was trying not to laugh at him.

"Anou, Shinigami-san... Could you please quit ignoring me? It's kinda rude."

Yup, no fear at all.

"Ah I'm sorry. Would you like to teach me how to play it then, Miss?"

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R&R


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Woohoo, I'm on a roll! Oh please oh please let me stay motivated~

(xLilim, you're quickly becoming my favorite person- thanks again for the review! :3)

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-4-

She was struck by how uncharacteristically polite he was in asking the question.

...Though on second thought, she didn't know him at all- who was she to decide what was and wasn't "characteristic" in the first place? Just because he looked like a punk delinquent (Tattoos on the face? Really?) didn't mean he actually was one. At least she hoped he wasn't.

"I- I don't actually know a whole lot about guitars, just their general structure," she managed to looked abashed at this point, "but I do know the basics of music theory. I can teach you. If you're willing to learn, that is."

He smiled that same smile again- friendly and polite, but not overtly eager. "Then I humbly ask you to teach me all you know," he paused before adding, "sensei."

Shouldn't she be more concerned about this? Alone in the middle of the woods with a male stranger should send her into a wary mode, but she just shrugged it off.

'_I'll just kick his ass if he tries any funny business.'_

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__Don't worry, she gets a name soon, I promise!

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	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: **Hokay, this is probably my last installment until next Monday. Gotta pace, y'know?**_  
_**

This spot belongs to xLilim for being such a faithful reviewer :)

Onward!

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-5-

In their impromptu lesson, he learned that the notes actually had names _"Do, Re, Mi... Pay attention, I'm only explaining this once!"_ which also coordinated to the letters of the alphabet... And somewhere between key signatures and the circle of fifths, Shuuhei decided that whoever invented this stuff was a mad genius. Brilliant, but crazy.

He had also learned that his Sensei's-_"Don't call me that, it makes me feel old"-_ name was Fuyune Michiru and she was only about 20 years dead. Her birth mother had been a pianist, and though she claimed no affection for the instrument, musical knowledge was an intrinsic part of her- practically genetic, she boasted.

Shuuhei wondered if her blunt nature was also genetic.

But not all things can last, and Fuyune-sensei _("I swear if you call me that again, I'll leave right now") _eventually brought the lesson to a close.

"I have to go now, but I suppose if you're still interested, I can come back tomorrow." Shuuhei immediately agreed to that, busy schedule be damned- he finally found someone who could teach him. "Bring some paper and writing utensils to take notes tomorrow. This'll be easier with visuals."

She was obviously rough around the edges, but, watching her pluck a patch of flowers on her way out of the clearing, Shuuhei decided that she had some kind of nurturing nature, somewhere deep down. After all, she had agreed to teach him, with nothing asked in return.

Maybe he should bring some kind of gift for her tomorrow?

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For clarification, the character's name is presented _surname first_. So Michiru is in fact her first name.

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	6. Chapter 6

Annnddd here we go again! Happy Monday everyone!

(This is xLilim's spot for being such an awesome and faithful reviewer :3)

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-6-

Throughout the lesson, Michiru had found herself constantly impressed.

She had firstly been impressed by the fact that she remembered so much of her mother's lessons. However she realized this also meant that this lesson would probably develop into _multiple_ lessons, as she wanted to be nothing if not thorough. Thankfully, this Shinigami seemed to be a quick study, and willing to learn.

His name was Hisagi Shuuhei, she discovered, and he was of fukutaichou rank within the the Gotei 13. Michiru wasn't all that familiar with the system, but she was aware that his position was relatively high up and was the tiniest bit impressed by this.

By the end of the (first) lesson, she came to the conclusion that this Hisagi-san, Shinigami oxymoron extraordinaire, had, despite her initial cynicism, gained a portion of her respect. Not that she'd tell him that, of course.

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	7. Chapter 7

**Fun Fact:** I've had 69 visitors on this story thus far- Shuuhei would be so happy! Or would he...?

(xLilim, you're a doll :3 I will never tire of telling you!)

Once again, I mention that critique is requested. Let me know how I'm doing~

Onwards now!

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-7-

True to his word, Shuuhei came to his lesson armed with writing supplies, and true to her word, Michiru had brought not only more lecturing but documents (procured from the under the flowers in her basket) that she expected him to copy as well.

It was soon decided that expecting nightly meetings would be unrealistic. Shuuhei had Shinigami duties afterall (he felt no need to specify that the majority of these were simply doing paperwork and editting for the the Seireitei Communication). Michiru also admitted that she had a brood of adolescent boys that she was "nee-chan" to, and she felt uncomfortable leaving them so many nights in a row for so long.

This admittance of a maternal nature left Shuuhei speechless for a brief moment...

"_Quit looking at me like I grew another head, baka!"_

...until the words snapped reminded him that she wasn't any less brash, blunt, temperamental, and altogether scowly because of it.

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	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: **I hate college sometimes- it so thoroughly screws with my sleep schedule. Ughhhh

A _hinormaru _bento is simple bento with just rice with an umeboshi (pickled plum) in the center, making it look like the Japanese flag, _hinomaru_, for which the bento design is named.

Also, is it just me, or is a guy who cooks one of the sexiest things ever? Hilarious that it's canonical fact of Shuuhei's character._  
_

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-8-

"Ah, Fuyune-san, before I forget, I made something for you."

Shuuhei pulled out a bento from behind his guitar- still propped against a nearby tree since they hadn't bothered to use it yet today. "Consider it thanks for the lessons."

Michiru tentatively opened the box...

'_Oh sweet Kami...'_

...and gaped at what was inside. Rice. Lots of rice. it was a simple _hinomaru_ bento, but her mouth watered at the sight. He couldn't have possibly known about her undying love for the food, but he would now, what with her drooling over it like this.

"It's not much, but I hope you'll like it," he supplied, trying to snap her out of her stupor. She came to herself and gave him a wide smile he didn't know she was capable of.

"Oh thank you, Hisagi-san! It smells divine," she gushed as she broke the chopsticks and proceeded to chow down.

"Ah no problem- I figured you'd be probably be hungry. It must take a while to walk out here."

Michiru struggled to properly down her current mouthful of rice before letting out a tight laugh. "Ah Hisagi-san, how long has it been since you've been to Rukongai? You forget that those of us without reiatsu don't get hungry." She continued talking through the next several bites. "Regardless, this bento is delicious. You're a good cook!"

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**xLilim:** thank you so much for the review! Yes, I'm trying to spend a while fleshing out Michiru, and hopefully I'll continue to do so at a comfortable pace- I'm planning for this to be a rather, eh, drawn out affair, so to speak. Also, you're technically right about the number of boys... And you're technically wrong. I'll let you mull on that one ;)

Once again, critiques are requested and reviews make my day!

RT


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: **So I have an exam in 6 hours that, if I don't get at least a 90 on it, I will lose my scholarship. What am I doing right now? Posting this instead. *facepalm*

What fools these mortals be...

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-9-

Michiru was still eating away at the bento, albeit more slowly now, giving him time to think.

Her statement earlier... Shuuhei knew the words she had spoken earlier weren't truth. From the very beginning, he could sense her reiatsu flickering in his presence. Nothing overwhelming and certainly nowhere near that of himself, a fully trained shinigami, but it didn't matter how much spiritual power you possessed- any amount would cause hunger.

Which meant that she had knowingly lied to him. But why?

If he somehow hadn't managed to sense her spiritual power, Michiru's nervous actions would have been a dead give away to her lying. It was the first time he had ever heard laughter come from her- and it was so obviously forced. He had also noticed the previous day, while she narrated on about perfect fourths and fifths, that she tended to twist the end of her braid around her fingers as either an outlet for nervous energy or an unconscious habit. With the way she deftly swirled the brunette strands around for the remainder of the second lesson, Shuuhei concluded that it was definitely nervous energy.

Well, whatever the reason for her denial, he decided not to press the matter. Her spiritual power was negligible, and if Fuyune-san wanted to keep that a secret... Well, it was none of his business.

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xLilim: I completely understand and sympathize with the constant checking of emails. Dear Lord, do I know. Still, it all works out in my favor, now doesn't it? xD

**Back to studying~! Tata for now! -RT**

****Review?


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: **Good Lord, this week has been one hell of a rollercoaster. And it's only Tuesday.

Bad news- this is the only update this week as it is finals week and I'd like to not trip at the finish line. Good news- I'm done with school after Thursday! *confetti*

(And as an update that no one cares about: completely _failed_ the test mentioned in the last chapter **BUT** discovered my scholarship will be intact regardless, since it's cumulative and not quarterly. God does exist, and He answers the small prayers sometimes.)

Thanks to xLilim and shadowkitten12 for the reviews! *blows kisses*

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-10-

As silently as she could, Michiru slunk across the backstreets leading to the small flat that served at her residence. As long as she could get in without disturbing Ranmaru, she'd be home clear. The younger ones couldn't do anything about her delayed return, but Ranmaru was the head of the household, and as such, had full scolding rights.

"And where have you been?"

'_Son of a bitch.'_

Ranmaru was leaning against the wall by the back door in a pseudo-relaxed position that Michiru knew meant trouble. Figures. She had avoided the fifth degree with Hisagi-san earlier; the karmic wrath was going to bite her in the ass eventually.

"Where do I always go?" she snarked back. '_Act natural and maybe he'll buy it...'_

His eyes narrowed at her response, as if to suggest she was hiding something. Which she was, of course.

She sighed and feigned defeat. "I found a new clearing the other day, a little farther in. It takes a while to get to, but I'm sure I'll find something-"

"Quit lying, Michiru," he snapped, trying not to raise his voice.

"And why would you think I'm lying?" She technically hadn't been lying... She just was doing a dandy job of avoiding the truth.

"Oh please, you can't stop fidgeting, and you haven't looked me in the eyes since you got here. Your guilt is all over your face."

"Guilt for what? Trying to provide for our family? So, I'm a little later than usual- big deal."

"It _is _a big deal when there's more that you're not telling me."

"Quit trying to make me the villain in this, Ranmaru."

"That's 'Nii-sama' to you." He was standing at full height in front of her now. Trying to be imposing, she figured, but no grown man had ever intimidated her, least of all him.

"You can take your 'Nii-sama' and shove it up your-"

"Nee-chan?" Michiru's gaze swerved to the now slightly ajar shoji screen. Through the crack she could see the small frame and tousled sandy hair of the youngest, Ryuuki. "I had a nightmare, Nee-chan..."

"I'll be right there," she comforted, giving Ryuuki a soft smile. "Nii-chan and I are just finishing our conversation, aren't we?" Michiru cut eyes at Ranmaru with the silent command to drop the subject. Ranmaru scoffed and walked inside without another word. The conversation wasn't truly over, she knew, but she had won the initial battle, and earned herself the time to come up with a better defense to his prying questions.

She gently guided Ryuuki back to the pallet that she shared with him and the two other young ones. The older boys- Ranmaru, Yougetsu, and Keiichirou all slept on a separate pallet across the room, hidden only by a flimsy folding screen meant to give some semblance of different rooms. Michiru situated herself in between Ryuuki and Shou, the second youngest. Satoshi was twitching in his sleep next to Shou, and Michiru had no desire to suffer from one of his sleep-kicking bouts. Ryuuki curl up into her bosom, clutching at her yukata.

"Y'know," he mumbled sleepily, "Nii-chan was really worried about you." Michiru kissed the crown of his head and hugged him close.

"I know, sweetheart. Now go to sleep. Laundry day is tomorrow." Ryuuki pouted before letting out a drowsy sigh and relaxing in her arms, asleep almost instantly.

Now, if only sleep would come as easily for her...

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In order of age (or appeared age- Soul Society's aging system is pretty screwed up), the family goes Ranmaru, Michiru, Yougetsu, Keiichirou, Satoshi, Shou, and Ryuuki.

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	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: **Holy. Crap. Life... it ate me these past weeks. Survived the semester, moved twice, and am now back at school, taking a course on taxes. **TAXES.**

*dies*

Hopefully I'll get back in the swing of updating. Baby steps, baby steps...

Thanks to xlilim and Shirayuki Tempest for the reviews :)

And here-we-go!

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-11-

Ranmaru didn't hate Shinigami. He didn't even remotely dislike them. That being said, being in the presence of one was probably the last thing Ranmaru would volunteer to do. Why? Because Michiru knew that in his opinion, Shinigami were to be feared; they were dangerous. Not only themselves, but what they did. Trouble magnets all around. Sure, they did good work, and he appreciated that, but being in their general vicinity was a risk Ranmaru didn't want in his or his family's life. Whenever one would happen to come to their district, the family was ordered to remain indoors til the Shinigami had passed through. The little ones didn't fully understand it yet, but Michiru knew that it was all some form of misguided brotherly protection.

So telling Ranmaru about where she had been? Out of the question. He'd keep her from going out ever again, if that's what it took. And she couldn't afford that. During the day she was needed to watch the little ones and do business in the district, but the nights were needed to collect herbs and flowers. She didn't get a large sum from peddling them to the occasional housewife or apothecary, but it was enough to help out.

The night was also a good cover to get edible herbs to hold off the hunger. Because if Ranmaru found out she was spiritually aware- that she could potentially become a Shinigami herself- well, there's no telling what lengths he would go to protect his family.

Even if it meant abandoning her.

Michiru had lived on her own once, here in Soul Society, and it had only been in the past couple of years that she had joined the ragtag family she considered herself a part of now. She had the ability and the smarts to do it again if need be, but even if she wanted to, Michiru couldn't bring herself to leave the family now.

They were already struggling to make ends meet as it was, and that was an improvement to the state she found them in. Ranmaru was a good protecter, true, but his odd jobs were scarce, and providing water for the family wasn't always feasible. It had been her who had structured their lives so that when they didn't earn enough to pay the landlord, there was some sort of savings to pull from, and when the water got too expensive, there were rations to resort to.

This family had survived without her once, but she wasn't so sure they could do so any more. It would cost her honesty and her comfort, but she was willing to sacrifice that if it meant staying.

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Admittedly, not super happy with this chapter tidbit. But I needed to get it out. Finally.

Review?


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N:** I swear, Shuuhei's gonna come back into this story soon. I mean, that's pretty much the reason you're here, right? :D But goodness, Michiru's family refuses to be quiet in my imagination.

Thanks to xLilim and Nelarun for the reviews. I'm glad I'm not boring y'all to death with all the OC's. :)

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-12-

During the day, Ranmaru and now Yougetsu, since he had recently been deemed strong enough to be useful, would go off to find work, leaving Michiru in charge. And on occasion, Michiru found herself cursing her position. Like right now.

'_I hate laundry day. Hate lye. Hate all of this.'_

But she couldn't voice it out loud. If the leader was complaining, then imagine the complaints of the others...

Their system was simple. Herself and Keiichirou, the next oldest after Yougetsu, would do the actual cleaning and scrubbing. Satoshi and Shou, both a few inches shorter than Keiichirou and at least a head shorter than her, were just tall enough to hang things on the line. Ryuuki, the shortest of all, would gopher between the two groups. It was efficient... as long as all members did their jobs, and that wasn't always a given. Keiichirou was bound to fits of daydreaming, and Ryuuki would totter faithfully back and forth but would get tired easily. It was really Shou that she had to keep watch over- he was always trying to shirk any and all duties off onto Satoshi, who was too quiet and responsible to ever raise a fuss about it.

'_Speaking of the little devil, where the hell is he...?' _Satoshi was still over by the lines, but Shou had disappeared... again.

"Time for Nee-chan's cleaning!"

...and before she could turn around to Shou's obnoxious yelling, Michiru was doused by absurdly cold water.

Keiichirou tried his best to muffle his laughs at her shocked face. He hadn't warned her, the twerp. She turned slowly and gave the grinning offender a poisonous glare.

"Shou..." she hissed out, a clear warning of punishment to come, but he just stuck his tongue out before bolting in the opposite direction.

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My great-grandmother (when she was alive) once told me that lye in a can was the best invention of her lifetime.

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	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: **I promise, Shuuhei's back by the next one. I just had to finish off laundry day...

Thank you Nelarun for the review :)

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-13-

"Ugh, my arms feel like they're about to fall off." Shou grumbled, wringing out yet another article of clothing. "Stupid evil sister with a stick up her a-" A sharp thwack to his skull halted the sentence. "OW! What the hell?"

Michiru said nothing but gave him a pointed glare. Shou, thankfully, took the hint and refrained from complaining any further.

When she'd finally hauled his sorry butt back home after a long and involuntary game of hide-and-seek across the district, Michiru had made the offender take her position. Since then, she had been standing over Shou as a silent reminder of why he was _still _doing laundry, despite the rest having gone inside at the sun's setting.

The gate clicked and swung open, revealing the tired and sweat-stained pair of Ranmaru and Yougetsu. The customary "tadaima" died on their lips as they glanced at Shou scrubbing viciously and then to Michiru, now clothed in Ranmaru's own kosode and hakama (the only dry clothes available to her after her yukata was so thoroughly soaked). Yougetsu shot her a questioning look, but said nothing as he proceeded inside.

"Do I even want to know?" Ranmaru questioned as he approached her, smirking. Michiru harrumphed. "Ah, a typical day then."

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Review if you think hakama are sexy ;)


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